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Peter Dutton is heading to another factory setting for his WA press conference today – the third in as many days as he emphasises the Coalition’s offerings on energy for industry and business.
This time, we’re at the warehouse of manufacturing company PROK, in the electorate of Hasluck.
This seat was won by surprise by Labor in 2022, and is held on a 10 per cent margin, although that came from the big swing against the former Morrison government in Western Australia and is unlikely to remain so high.
In case you’re just joining the blog, Dutton is here in the resource-rich state of WA. And he knows it.
The opposition leader began his speech at this morning’s breakfast by lauding the WA resources sector for its $150 billion contribution to the national economy last financial year before lambasting the Albanese government for deferring a decision on whether to allow the North West Shelf gas plant to operate until 2070.
Dutton claimed the decision not to rule on the project, despite it providing 3000 jobs, tax dollars and royalties to the WA and national economies, was underpinned by the government’s focus on appeasing inner-city voters in NSW and Victoria.
“Why would you put off a decision after the Cook government took six years to resolve in favour of the extension of its significant project here in the North West Shelf?” he told the breakfast.
“[The Albanese government] are at odds with the interests of WA and the sliding door moment is that we choose that path, and the projects dry out.
“I want this great state to continue to be the powerhouse that you have made it – and I want to be a partner in that journey.”
Dutton also reiterated the coalition’s plans to defund the “disgraced” Environmental Defender’s office, a move which was met with a round of applause from an audience littered with mining executives and lobbyists.
He also vowed to ensure that Labor’s planned federal environmental protection agency “never sees the light of day”.
The laws drew staunch opposition from WA’s mining sector, who received the backing of WA Premier Roger Cook in strong-arming the federal government into scrapping the commitment which it placed on ice before revising.
Peter Dutton is playing a favourite game of interview hosts on the campaign trail – word associations.
He is being shown photographs on the screen and asked to provide a one-word response.
To the first, a picture of Gina Rinehart next to Elon Musk, Dutton bypasses the US tech billionaire and comments only on the WA mining magnate: “With Gina, great Australian, who’s employed many Australians and paid lots of taxes. I have respect for anybody who does that.”
To one of Malcolm Turnbull: “It’s very dark and shadowy… And what I’d say is that I don’t scare of ghosts easily.”
He’s then asked to keep the responses down to one word. Labor minister Tanya Plibersek gets “greenie” while Coalition frontbencher Michaelia Cash is “energetic”.
Dutton abandons the word count again when shown a picture of US Vice President J.D. Vance.
“I was disgusted with the scenes out of the White House in relation to [Ukraine] President Zelensky, I’d make that point,” he says.
“But I also read [Vance’s autobiography] Hillbilly Elegy when it came out… and his story of growing up is nothing short of remarkable. But I don’t agree at all with his or President Trump’s treatment of President Zelensky, I think he’s a modern-day Churchill.”
Sticking with the breakfast, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has shrugged off questions about the personal toll of being the target of a foiled terrorist attack and his father’s heart attack hours before the televised debate, insisting his day at work was still “pretty easy”.
A 16-year-old Queensland boy has been charged with allegedly targeting Dutton in a planned terrorist attack involving a drone.
While claiming having a front-row seat to the brutal business of politics had cured his children of any desire to participate, the former police officer said the job was still “pretty easy” given some of the things he had witnessed in his life.
“Being able to work in the job that I work in takes a decision at some point in life that requires you to abandon your anonymity if you want to contribute to a country that you love very much, and that’s a decision that I took,” he said.
“Regardless of what comes, if you know what you believe in, if you’re prepared to stand up and fight for and defend your values, then that makes it a fairly easy day at work.”
He also addressed his 80-year-old father, Bruce, who suffered a heart attack just hours before his televised leadership debate.
“He’s an old builder, he’s stoic and he’s tough as nails, but soft on the inside,” he said.
“He lives for his grandkids, and has been amazing father and grandfather, but I saw him yesterday, and hopefully he’ll be out of hospital shortly.”
Peter Dutton has taken the stand to speak at an event hosted by Seven West Media at Crown Perth this morning.
It’s his first public appearance of the day, and comes after reports that he was targeted by a schoolboy’s terror plot.
Dutton begins with a joke about the newspaper’s editor before praising aspiration in Australia.
“We should spend more time in our country celebrating success in the business community, across the arts and our migrant story is an incredible success story,” he said.
“We should be talking more about in our country, people who have started with very little, people who have grown businesses have been successful, people who have sacrificed, work hard and give it back to their communities and to their country.”
Dutton then spruiked the talent in his frontbench, while taking a swipe at Treasurer Jim Chalmers following this week’s televised debate.
“You saw [shadow treasurer] Angus Taylor taking on Jim Chalmers and wipe the floor [with] a man who’s got a very significant glass jaw, our federal treasurer.”
An Ellenbrook highschool is under fire again over another violent assault, this time on a 14-year-old boy who was held at knifepoint and had his two front teeth knocked out.
The incident occurred at Aveley Secondary College – the same school that a 15-year-old, who allegedly coward punched a 14-year-old fellow student at a shopping centre this week, attends.
The boy and his mother are speaking out about the attack, that occurred in June last year, after hearing of the latest assault.
You can hear about their disappointment in how the school and the Department of Education handled the attack below.
To more crime news now and two people in Mandurah have been charged with supplying and selling drugs, after allegedly being found with over three kilograms of methamphetamine worth more than $2 million in their possession.
Police are working on an operation to target the sale and supply of illicit drugs in the area and arrested the two men after several months of gathering intelligence.
The pair were allegedly found in possession of the methamphetamine, more than one kilogram of cannabis and 890 grams of cocaine, as well as $80,000 in cash.
A 49-year-old man from Parklands and a 33-year-old man from Dudley Park will each appear in court over a string of charges including intent to sell or supply, stealing a motor vehicle and possessing trafficable quantities of drugs.
The 33-year-old will appear in court today, while the 49-year-old will appear on May 22.
A WA Police Force spokesperson said the arrests were a clear message that “illicit drugs will not be tolerated in the community”.
To breaking news this morning, and a 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged for allegedly damaging nearly 90 cars in a western suburbs rampage.
On April 9, police received reports that three men were breaking into vehicles on Colin Street in Dalkeith.
Over several hours, further reports of vehicles being damaged were reported in Wembley, Crawley, Peppermint Grove, Mosman Park and Fremantle.
Police believe the men were all aged between 18 and 25 years old.
The 20-year-old man, from Hamilton Hill, will appear in court today on a string of charges including 11 counts of attempting to steal, nine of criminal damage, no authority to drive, breaching protective bail conditions and failing to ensure a child younger than six months was restrained properly in a car he was driving.
Anyone who has had their car damaged and haven’t already reported the matter to police are asked to make a report by calling 131 444 or by attending a local police station.
Here’s what’s making headlines today:
Friday is set to be mostly sunny and warm at a peak of 33 degrees. Enjoy!